‘Extremely ignorant’: ‘Love on the Spectrum’ stars hit back at RFK Jr.’s autism comments
Cast members from Netflix's reality show Love on the Spectrum are publicly condemning comments made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who suggested that most autistic individuals are incapable of basic life activities like paying taxes, working, or playing sports. Stars Dani Bowman and James Jones, both on the spectrum, say the Secretary of Health and Human Services' speech was not only misinformed but also offensive and downright harmful.
What did RFK Jr. say about autistic people?
At a press conference held on April 16, 2025, RFK Jr. spoke on his plans to root out a supposed "environmental" cause of autism in an attempt to "eliminate" this neurodivergence entirely. In doing so, he painted autistic people in an extremely broad brush that fits only a small percentage of the targeted population.
“And these are kids who will never pay taxes," he said. "They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted, and we have to recognize we are doing this to our children.”
RFK JR: And these are kids who will never pay taxes, they'll never hold a job, they'll never play baseball, they'll never write a poem. They'll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted pic.twitter.com/8T3hcYYn9O
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 16, 2025
An HHS spokesperson later told the Washington Post that RFK Jr. "was referring to those that are severely affected by this chronic condition" and that he didn't intend to generalize. If that was not his intent, then he did a poor job, as many autistic people felt personally attacked by his speech.
Love on the Spectrum stars respond to RFK Jr.'s comments about autism
Speaking with NewsNation, Love on the Spectrum regular Dani Bowman rejected RFK Jr.'s statements, drawing on her own full life as an example.
"Autistic people have the same hopes, dreams and yes, the same awkward dating moments as anyone else,” she said. “To generalize and say none of us can work, date or contribute to society, is completely false. I have a job. I do pay taxes. I’ve dated I have a master’s degree."
Meanwhile, on his TikTok account, James Jones similarly condemned the HHS Secretary's words, calling them "extremely ignorant" and "downright offensive." Though he says his social skills developed differently than the neurotypical kids around him, access to programs that worked with the way his brain operates helped him grow into a fully functional adult.
@jamesbjones.offical Recently, Robert F. Kennedy jr. made several comments about people who have autism or similar conditions that I found to be very offensive #jamesbjones #jamesbjones87 #confide #comedyvideo #tellingstory #loveonthespectrum #politics #discuss #president #truth #james #podcastclips #news #new #podcasts #podcast #couple #presidentialelection #presidential #JamesBJones ♬ original sound - James B
"I am now a 37-year-old grown adult. I drive, I have had my driver’s license since I was 17, he explained. "I have a permanent, 40-hour-per-week job with benefits, which I have held steadily since 2017. I am responsible for all my own expenses."
Of course, he also has an amazing relationship and starred on a popular TV series.
Speaking with People, Jones also hit back at RFK Jr.'s generalization of the autistic community.
"They clearly were made from a position of extreme ignorance," he said. "Autism manifests itself differently in every person. No two people who have it are exactly the same."
Commenters on the TikTok video praised Jones for standing up for his community and added their voices against the misleading statements made by the Secretary.
"RFK Jr is a dangerous threat the the autism community," wrote @skootrmari. "Thank you for using your platform to speak up. We have to take care of each other and fight the misinfo!"
How many autistic people have severe limitations?
During his speech, RFK Jr. made the false claim that the majority of autistic people are on the "severe" end of the spectrum.
"Most cases now are severe," he said. "Twenty-five percent of the kids who are diagnosed with autism are nonverbal, non-toilet-trained, and have other stereotypical features."
His assertion is not consistent with scientific findings nor the definition of "most." Twenty-five percent is not a majority. He was most likely referencing a 2023 study that analyzed just 135 autistic eight-year-olds and found that 26.7 percent of them fit the definition of "profound" autism.
However, a report by the Austin American-Statesman found that this statistic represented the highest among a list of studies on the subject. A more recent study, published in 2024 by University of Utah and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia researchers, put that number at 10.1 percent.
“Wanting to cure autism implies that our way of being is wrong, and it isn’t,” Bowman told NewsNation. “We don’t need to be fixed. We need to be supported. But the answer isn’t erasing autism, it’s building a more inclusive world for all of us.”
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